Howard Zahniser (1906-1964), executive secretary of The Wilderness
Society and editor of The Living Wilderness from 1945 to 1964, is
arguably the person most responsible for drafting and promoting the
Wilderness Act in 1964. The act, which created the National Wilderness
Preservation System, was the culmination of Zahniser's years of
tenacious lobbying and his work with conservationists across the nation.
In 1964, fifty-four wilderness areas in thirteen states were part of the
system; today the number has grown to 757 areas, protecting more than a
hundred million acres in forty-four states and Puerto Rico.
Zahniser's passion for wild places and his arguments for their
preservation were communicated through radio addresses, magazine
articles, speeches, and congressional testimony. An eloquent and often
poetic writer, he seized every opportunity to make the case for the
value of wilderness to people, communities, and the nation.
Despite his unquestioned importance and the power of his prose, the best
of Zahniser's wilderness writings have never before been gathered in a
single volume. This indispensable collection makes available in one
place essays and other writings that played a vital role in persuading
Congress and the American people that wilderness in the United States
deserved permanent protection.